---
Her thoughts scattered as a single word rang clear and strong inside her mind, not through her ears but through the very thread of her soul.
"Mia."
Her heart skipped a beat again, stronger this time, as though the very sound of that single word carried warmth and longing. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breath, but the trembling in her fingers betrayed her.
"Kai…" she whispered aloud, and her voice wavered between disbelief and joy. "It's really him." She thinks.
Inside her mind, the voice came again. It was calm, deep, threaded with a kind of strength that always made her feel protected.
"Mia, it's me. How are you? What are you doing?"
